Remember Ryan Idol?

[uwsman2]

About to be in the news again. The retired porn star - real name Marc Anthony Donias - just lost the appeal of his criminal conviction. He's presently serving hard time in a California state prison after being convicted by a jury on various acts of violence against his girlfriend, including bashing her with a toilet seat! At any rate, he had an appeal on file to the California 3rd District Court of Appeal, which issued a ruling on March 4, upholding his conviction and rejecting all his claims on appeal. He was claiming that the jury was tainted because a juror was seen conversing with a testifying police officer in the hallway, that the trial judge should have instructed the jury on possible lesser charges even though Donias' lawyer didn't ask him to, and that his lawyer gave him "ineffective" representation. One of his complaints about the lawyer is that his strategy of letting in evidence about Donias' porn career turned out to be a dumb strategy. That's not the kind of thing that overturns a verdict. The court gives a long, juicy narrative about the facts presented to the jury, which reads a bit like a short story.

 

For those who have access to Lexis, you can find the opinion at 2015 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1518. I don't know if it can be had for free on the court's website, since it is officially designated as an "unpublished" opinon - unless they have a special archive of unpublished opinions. California court websites can be a little quirky.

 

Back in the day, I thought "Ryan Idol" was pretty hot, although there were always stories circulating about what a dangerous and odd character he was - and, of course, that he was gay for pay. The most interesting thing to me about the court's narration is that it includes a boyfriend with whom Donias entered into a civil union in New Hampshire! That doesn't sound too "gay for pay" to me....

[gallahadesquire]

Not to be snarky - I live next to his home town now! - but it's Marc Anthony Donais.

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

...including bashing her with a toilet seat!

 

It was a toilet tank lid. He could have hurt someone with a toilet seat.

[bigvalboy]

I remember him well. Used to run into him all the time at "The Numbers"...Who would ever have thought from those 'Hey Days' that his life would end up like this. Life is a strange road sometimes.

[uwsman2]

The court spells it Donias on the printed opinion.

Ok, and this is what the court says: "Defendant then raised the ceramic toilet tank lid over his head and slammed it down on her head, which caused her to black out."

[gallahadesquire]

The court spells it Donias on the printed opinion.

Ok, and this is what the court says: "Defendant then raised the ceramic toilet tank lid over his head and slammed it down on her head, which caused her to black out."

 

The COURT has it spelled wrong? No wonder it's not published.

 

Blanche: "You know my Uncle was Knighted for his actions in the Stock Market."

John: "He wasn't knighted, he was endicted. And it wasn't the Stock Market, it was the Black Market."

Blanche: "Well, whatever. He made a lot of money!"

- Frances Langford and Don Amice, The Bickersons

[Epigonos]

When all is said and done no matter what a train wreck he has been psychologically he was definitely drop dead gorgeous when he was young!!!!!

[+ Robster]

Not to be snarky, but it's Don Ameche.

 

Rob

[Boink]

When all is said and done no matter what a train wreck he has been psychologically he was definitely drop dead gorgeous when he was young!!!!!

 

He also had an 'all-American' wholesome quality to his handsomeness, which somehow for me makes his story a little sadder. I always thought that life was supposed to be so much easier for the good-looking people than for the rest of us. But from the stories I read it seems more often to complicate matters.

[+ friendofsheila]

Boy, what a life he's led!

[Happy]

I was a Ryan Idol fan for a while. His video at a beach house with Joey Stefano (Joey in his prime then) really got me stroking. But then I found out that the scene used David Ashfield as Ryan's stunt dick. Even in the early days he could not keep an erection. Saw him a few years later at a PA club and he looked puffy. The boys were making too many visits to Burger King jokes as he danced on stage. Alas he was more image than thereal deal.